Overview

The Tourism and Leisure course from Rovira i Virgili University aim to meet the demands of an economic activity that, like few others, is exposed to fierce competition and has a key effect on the social and cultural sustainability of many regions and cities locally and worldwide.

The emergent nature of knowledge on tourism and leisure highlights the need to strengthen it as a field of research. This requirement is identified in the National Plan for Research and Innovation of Catalonia, which states that the area of "Consumption of emotions and experiences" is a crucial sector that must be strengthened through the inclusion of highly qualified R&D staff for the industrial fabric of Catalonia. Furthermore, the current draft of the Spanish Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation for the period 2013-2020 states that it is necessary to "promote research that can be used by the productive sector in the short and medium term" and that R&D initiatives should be identified and fostered in strategic areas such as tourism.

Career opportunities

Students who successfully complete the doctoral programme will be able to work in the following areas:

Research and teaching in universities, research centres and R&D organisations.

Research in tourist consulting firms, intelligence centres of large companies and official government tourism organisations.

Research in professional organisations, technology centres and innovative business groups in the sector of tourism and leisure.

Analysis and management of information systems for tourism and leisure corporations and destinations.

Product management in innovative tourism and leisure companies and destinations.

Innovation and development in tourism and leisure corporations and destinations.

Tourism and leisure projects in research, innovation and technological development companies.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Branding and Tourism Communication

Consumption, Leisure and Tourist Experience

Sustainable Development and Impacts of Tourism

Mobility, Destinations and Tourism Governance

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months
Part-time
- 84 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2025-11-04 00:00:00

Language

English, Spanish, Catalan

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Tarragona, Spain

Disciplines

Tourism & Leisure View 3 other PhDs in Tourism & Leisure in Spain

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

A letter of motivation to the programme coordinator (antonio.russo@urv.cat), expressing the reasons why the applicant wishes to pursue this doctoral programme and their interests in carrying out the doctoral thesis.

A letter/letters of recommendation or reference from research personnel who endorse the merits of the applicant for the doctoral programme in Tourism and Leisure.
If it sees fit, the admission body for the doctoral degree may assess an application through an interview in person or online.

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Rovira i Virgili University and/or in Spain, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

766 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 766 EUR per year during 48 months.
EU/EEA

548 EUR/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 548 EUR per year during 48 months.

Living costs for Tarragona

580 - 960 EUR /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

One of the aims of the university is to facilitate access to higher education and to prevent exclusion for financial reasons. Every year, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili offers three kind of scholarships: URV Master’s Grants, URV Master’s AUIP Grants and Grants for initiation in teaching and research URV -BIDI. Application period opens in April and closes in June.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Tourism and Leisure.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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